Novahobbies 110g Build History and Log. So THAT'S where all my money went!

[Daniel@R2R]

Thanks for your kind comments! I'm going to try and update this more often. Here, this happened just now....

Photobomb level: expert. I was trying to get a photo of the damage between the Stylophora coral (background) and the ORA neon green birdsnest in the foreground. They were much closer together and were really going at it....I had to separate them last night. The fish had other plans for the shot.

Ha! Awesome photobomb!!

 

[revhtree]

Nice job on the reef!

 

[novahobbies]

Thank you! I have a couple pictures of the new fish in QT, but I don't want to post them until we're settled in the main display. DOn't know why, but every time I've posted a QT photo online, I've.....jinxed the fish somehow and it doesn't make it. Not gonna do that with this one.

I want to make a couple aquarium purchases in 2017 that are a little on the high side of my budget. First and most importantly, I need a new sump. I have a 29g standard AGA down there with home-brew baffles, and it gets the job done but it's almost impossible to clean. When I added my SGA skimmer I had to move things around since the only place the skimmer would fit is the fuge. So, chaeto got moved into the first chamber, and the fuge became a cryptic zone with a skimmer. Not the best combination. A new custom sump can use the space under the tank in a smarter fashion. So that's big purchase #1. Big Purchase #2 is going to be an upgraded pump of some kind. Time to move away from the Jebao PP15 and look at either a Vortech or a Gyre. Not sure which yet.

 

[novahobbies]

Some top down shots from tonight.

 

[novahobbies]

And some close-ups.

 

[novahobbies]

Well, we had a 12 hour power outage because a breaker flipped a week ago (While someone was in my home....but did she text me to say something was wrong?? Of course not....DO NOT get me started...) and when I came home I found a tank full of dead fish. UGH. Corals are all fine, but almost every fish went to the big ocean in the sky. Survivors were the blue spotted jawfish, my Dragonface pipefish, and a Wyoming White clown. So I have to re-build the stock list. As luck would have it, I had a rhomboid in QT that I was growing out a little fatter before she went into the display, but now I don't have to worry about aggression, so she went into the display today. And a new Potter's angel is in QT now.
Since I'm rebuilding the stock list, I have to decide what to replace with identical animals, and what to switch out. The fish kill included a Desjardini tang, Midas blenny, McCosker's wrasse, African Leopard, and a Naoko wrasse, a Potter's angel, and a Tiger Wardi goby. The Potter's angel is obviously going to be replaced, and I know I'll want another Tiger Wardi for the sand as well as a Midas blenny....well, for their adorable shimmy. ;-) I'm may get another African Leopard wrasse, but I would like to get a Potter's wrasse as well, along with a Lineatus and a Radiant. I think I'm going to skip the Naoko and the McCoskers this time. They're beautiful fish, but I've kept both of those for a long time. As for the tang.....I like the Desjardini because of their bubble algae eating prowess, but The Wife has loved and wished for a Powder Blue for a long time. I am tempted to try it, but I'm worried about their ich magnet abilities. Even though I QT and I know there's no ich in the system, I'm just worried. Also, does anyone have any info about Potter's and African Leopard wrasses together?

 

[Jason mack]

Sorry for your loss !!!

 

[novahobbies]

Thanks man. Been about 4 months now, tank is bouncing back well. I need to get a tang or a foxface in here to keep the darn caulerpa trimmed, though.

 

[novahobbies]

Figured it was a good time for a 6 month update. Things are still growing well after the crazy lady incident and the power. I've rebuilt my stock list and most everything has been growing pretty well. First, a full tank shot as of tonight:

 

[novahobbies]

Here's my full stock list:
Blue Spotted Jawfish, Opistognathus rosenblatti
Purple Tang, Zebrasoma xanthurum
Potter's Angel, Centropyge potteri
Red Firefish, Nemateleotris magnifica
Yellow Clown Goby, Gobiodon okinawae
Foxface Lo, Siganus vulpinus
Tiger Wardi Goby, Valenciennea wardii
2 Black Ice Clowns, Assholeus mcbitemeus
African Leopard Wrasse, Macropharyngodon bipartitus
Radiant Wrasse, Halichoeres iridis
Red Velvet Wrasse, Cirrhilabrus rubrisquamis
Golden Rhomboid Wrasse, Cirrhilabrus rhomboidalis
Lineatus Wrasse, Cirrhilabrus lineatus
And, in QT, coming out next week:
Midas Blenny, Ecsenius midas
Lunate Fairy Wrasse, Cirrhilabrus cf. lunatus

I'm also looking to add a copperband butterfly and maybe a dragonet as well, but I haven't decided for sure about the mandarin.

Lineatus:

Golden Rhomboid: (she's always camera shy)

Radiant Wrasse:

Red Velvet:

Clownfish in their zoa:

And last but not least, a couple pics of the yellow clown goby:

 

[novahobbies]

Here's a little group shot....

 

[novahobbies]

Big day coming up for the Novahobbies home. Tank is being broken down this Saturday, moving to a new house! Completely nervous and worried, but I have a good crew coming who will help. Wish us luck!

 

[novahobbies]

Forgot to mention, I've had some coral die-off since I've not been there to really watch the tank on a regular basis. Some of my Acro is definitely suffering. Hopefully we'll be able to save some of the nicer pieces before the move. It's very weird and somewhat hair-raising to not be there watching the tank every night! The new house is about 40 minutes north of the old place, so I swing by every third day or so to feed fish and make sure top-off is in good shape.

 

[Cliffsreef]

I love wrasses

 

[novahobbies]

All good things must come to an end. It's been a great run with this tank, but it's time for someone else to enjoy this beauty.

Time to hit up craigslist to sell her!

 

[revhtree]

Oh no you getting out?

 

[novahobbies]

Oh no you getting out?

..........NOPE!

Better. Upgrading! The 110 is turning into a 180, and the 37g bedroom tank is turning into a 65g upstairs loft tank!

I'll be upgrading with new build threads as the setup progresses. Short story long, we have a new house with a little more room = opportunities for bigger tanks. The good people at Hydra Aquatics are holding my livestock from the 110 until the 180 gets delivered, since I'm not at the old house and can't go over daily to care for the fish. I'm trusting them with my Lineatus and my Rhomboid......good thing I like these folks!

 

[revhtree]

YAY! I was worried! New build thread!

 

[novahobbies]

.....And, SOLD. Since I got such a fantastic deal on my new (to me) 180g tank, I decided to let karma flow and sold this for dirt. Tank, stand, canopy, sump, and pump for 150. Obviously it didn't stay on the market for very long. ;-) New build thread pending as soon as I put a video of the assembly process together.